


Of Clear Blue Eyes and Broken Dragon Rides

by phloridas, theoncomingscarlettstorm



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Comfort, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, theme park
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-10-12 01:07:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10478643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phloridas/pseuds/phloridas, https://archiveofourown.org/users/theoncomingscarlettstorm/pseuds/theoncomingscarlettstorm
Summary: What happens when a roller coaster breaks down in the middle of Harry Potter World? Well, in this case, it sparks the unlikely meetup of an operator with striking blue eyes and a terrified teenage boy who just wants to make his way off without dying. But what happens once they reach the ground?





	

**Author's Note:**

> We hope you enjoy!!

“What just happened?”

“What the hell is going on?”

“Is this the end? Are we all gonna die?”

Dan may often joke about death, but in that moment, he would have given anything to stay alive at least long enough to make it off this ride. Suddenly, a northern-accented male voice sounded all around them.

“Attention passengers. Please stay calm and remain in your seats.” Well, Dan wasn’t about to get up anytime soon, lest he risk a forty foot drop. “It appears that the Dragon Challenge is malfunctioning. Please remain seated while the operator makes his way to you.” A loaded murmur once again broke out around Dan, only causing his heart to bang harder against his chest. His fingers trembled. What if he _did_ die here? There was so much he hadn’t done! So many places he hadn’t seen! But at the same time...it’s not like he was that important to the universe, in the big scheme of things. His potential roller coaster death would just be a blip on the surface, maybe deeply affecting a few people, but they would get over it eventually.

 _Okay, Dan, stop. You’re going to give yourself an existential crisis again_. (And this one at forty feet in the air.)

Nothing Dan tried distracted him from the tight clenching in his stomach. That is, until an unfairly attractive man suddenly appeared on a kind of elevator attached to a crane. His jet black hair was cut similarly to Dan’s fringe and contrasted perfectly with his pale skin. (Who works at a theme park and still has pale skin? Dan wondered for a split second if the guy was a vampire.) With blue eyes that rivaled the hotel pool Dan had so been enjoying this week, he certainly was a fine sight, a fine sight indeed.

“Hey, is everyone doing alright?” he asked, and Dan immediately recognized the northern accent from earlier. Well, if he had known it belonged to _him_ , maybe he wouldn’t have been so nervous.

A chorus of indignant “no”s rose up around Dan, along with a few nervous giggles.

“Okay, okay, I can see that,” the roller coaster guy giggled and Dan swore he had never heard anything cuter. What was happening to him? “So we’ll be getting you off the ride in just a minute, but until then, just hold tight, alright? Now, this may sound scary,” again Dan’s stomach clenched, “but the best way for you guys to get off of here is to climb down the tracks, one at a time.”

Dan’s heart stopped. “Why can’t we use your elevator thing?” someone piped up, speaking for the entire car.

“It’s not meant to make a lot of trips back and forth. I’m sorry. Like I said, this is the best option.” Suddenly, Dan didn’t think he’d mind staying in that roller coaster car for all eternity. It would start again at some point, right? He didn’t have to follow through with this crazy evacuation procedure. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the cool metal of the bar holding him in his seat. The man seemed to notice and reached to put his hand on Dan’s shoulder. To anyone else that saw, he was just checking the restraints, but Dan felt the reassuring squeeze and half-forced a smile back.

“Okay, everyone, we need to start with the other side. I’ll be there to assist you halfway and then there will be another person for the other half. Is everyone okay with that?” There was another chorus of _yes_ es and, once again, Dan wasn’t among them. The idea of staying in the cart until he withered away was becoming more and more appealing. If they were to start on the other side, Dan would go last, and he’d have to climb across the other three seats to do it. Dan wasn’t someone normally afraid of heights, but he was afraid of falling off a broken thrill ride.

The man left and Dan felt whatever security he had leave with him. In the logical part of his mind he knew that the man was just going to the other side of the ride and would be there soon to help them, but the other part of his mind, the part that was currently ruling, kept thinking things like ‘He’s gone, we are going to have to climb out by ourselves and we’ll fall and die. Or maybe the ride will suddenly start working as I’m climbing off. That’d be fantastic.’ Dan held the bars tighter.

He kept his eyes closed for the most part, listening to the operator man directing the others in his row. Dan should probably be paying attention for when it was his turn, but he couldn’t bring himself to. He was suddenly glad his parents and little brother opted to grab lunch instead of the ride; there was no doubt that there would be endless teasing from this.

“Excuse me?” Dan heard. He opened his eyes and found that the black haired man had cleared everyone out except him. “The restraints can lift up now, if you want to come over here.” The answer was, of course, no, he didn’t want to, but he lifted them up anyways. When he moved across the seats he was surprised at how little he was shaking. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

And then he make the stupid mistake of looking down. All the jitters came back in full force and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. The only thing that stopped him from a full blown panic attack forty feet in the air was a warm hand that landed on his.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I promise you’ll be fine, I’ve done this before.” Dan just nodded, not really believing him. “I’m Phil. Can you tell me your name?” He asked. Dan mumbled his response, but luckily the operator understood him.

“Alright, Dan, come here. You’re going to step out and put your foot here…” He continued on with instructions, paused occasionally to give Dan’s hand a squeeze or tell him he was going to be fine. Dan did his best to follow them exactly and only had to pause twice on the way down to remember to breathe. Phil didn’t stop halfway and instead went all the way down with him, explaining that Dan was the last one on the ride, a fact Dan had forgotten about until then.

When they finally touched solid ground, Dan felt like he never wanted to see another roller coaster again, a feeling he knew would fade by morning. A different employee said something about an apology and handed Dan a coupon before directing him to the exit. He muttered a thank you and quickly found his way to a bench near the ride. He sat with his head on his knees, focusing on his breathing. _In and out, in and out, in and out._

“Hey, you okay?” Dan looked up and saw the operator, this time without his uniform vest covering his baby blue polo. It made his eyes seem brighter than before, or maybe that was just because Dan’s vision was no longer blurry.

“Yeah, thanks, sorry about that, I’m not usually afraid of those things,” he responded, waving his hand in the direction of the ride. Phil smiled and let out a light laugh, which made Dan smile.

“It’s okay, it wasn’t the best situation. A lot of people were nervous,” Phil reassured him.

They sat there awkwardly for a moment, Dan expecting him to go off and talk to the other consumers and Phil staring back at him with his hands tapping against his waistband. He tried to think of something to say but his mind was blank, as per usual when he was in any social situation. Dan’s mind instead focused on Phil’s tapping.

“Is that Muse?” he asked

“What?”

“Your tapping, it’s Muse, right?” Phil looked at him with a mix of wonder and embarrassment before nodding, “Yeah, “Uprising”. You listen to them?”

“Yeah, they’re my favorite band!” Dan said.

“Mine too!” Phil responded.

They chatted a bit about music before Dan remembered that Phil wasn’t just a random person, but an employee with a job.

“Oh! I’m sorry, you probably need to get back to your work, sorry,” he clumsily said.

“Oh, no, ah, I got the rest of the day off after _that_.” He gestured to the ride. “I just wanted to see how you were and all,” he finished.

Dan sat there for a bit, the air yet again permeated with awkwardness. “Thank you,” He wished he could think of something better to say but his mind was coming up blank. Phil’s, however, wasn’t.

“It was time to take my lunch anyways, do you, um, wanna join me?” He asked before quickly justifying himself. “I mean, you don’t have to or anything, I just thought that maybe you were hungry, you almost had a panic attack so, and we were talking and we like the same stuff so--”

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Dan interrupted Phil’s babbling.

“Really? Fantastic! Well, I don’t know if you’ve been there yet, but the Three Broomsticks has some really great stuff. Would you care to join me?” The attempted suaveness in Phil’s voice made Dan giggle.

“Seriously? You work here and you’re still willing to eat their food? Well, it must be really good if you can stand it for that long. Lead the way, Phil.”

So the two young men set off, talking and laughing as Dan marveled at his surroundings and just how closely they resembled the canonical aspects of Harry Potter.

Soon enough, they reached an elaborate cottage complete with snow-topped peaks. “Wow, they really pulled out all the stops here, didn’t they?” Dan shook his head, a giant grin now overtaking his face. “And the triangle of three broomsticks too! This is insane, it’s like all my childhood dreams come to life.”

Phil giggled, his eyes crinkling and nose scrunching in the cutest way. “Yeah, they really did do a great job of staying true to the books, although I wouldn’t really know since I haven’t read them all.”

Dan actually staggered back in shock. He clapped a hand to his heart, gaping at the man he thought he got on with so well. “You haven’t read the books?? Wow, I’m sorry, Phil, but I don’t know if I can talk to you anymore.” _It’s a shame, since you’re so cute, too_.

“Hey! I got through the first four and a half! I just couldn’t get through _Order of the Phoenix_ since it was so long and frankly kind of boring to me. I have seen all the movies so far, of course.”

Dan shook his head. As much as this new detail pained him, he really couldn’t leave Phil now. “Alright, well, I _guess_ I’ll allow myself to associate with a peasant such as yourself. Just know that I will make you finish the series one day, though.” He smirked before pulling the door open and holding it for Phil in an _after you_ gesture.

Upon entering, Dan was utterly delighted to find a cheerful tavern-style room complete with faux torch lights and elaborate decorations hanging from the ceiling. Much like Hogwarts, which he had visited immediately upon entering the park, it felt like coming home.

“Welcome to the--oh, hey, Phil!” A smiling hostess dressed in costume, complete with a pointed witch’s hat, greeted them. “And who’s this fine lad with you today?” Dan blushed.

“Oh, this is Dan. He was stuck on the Dragon Challenge when it broke down. I helped him down and...well, yeah. Dan, this is Rachel. I’d say she’s one of the cooler ones here at Universal.” Now it was Rachel’s turn to blush, while Dan pouted slightly.

“Well, welcome to the Three Broomsticks, Dan. I’ll get you guys settled and your waiter will be with you shortly to get your drink orders.” She led them over to a table towards the back, tossing a wink and what appeared to be an encouraging grin over at Phil before bustling back to her station at the front of the restaurant.

“So, Dan.” Phil settled his chin in his hand, grinning over at Dan in a way that made his heart jump with joy. “Tell me about yourself. You’re clearly not from here, I can tell by your accent. Or, really, lack thereof. What brings you here? Did you think you’d end up on a malfunctioning roller coaster followed by lunch with said roller coaster operator?”

Dan giggled. “I think I can clearly answer _no_ to that last question. You’re right, though, I’m not from here. I’m on holiday with my family. I ditched my parents and little brother a while ago since they didn’t want to wait in the giant queue for the ride. We’re from Wokingham, which is pretty much just outside of Reading. Not all that fancy, I know.”

Phil, however, only seemed to be more intrigued. “Oh, a southern boy? I’m from the Manchester area myself, although you can probably tell from my voice.” Was that a blush forming on his cheeks?

“Yes, I could detect a bit of a northern accent in those husky sensual tones.” Oh God. Was Dan _flirting?_ He didn’t even know if the guy was straight or not! What was wrong with him? Judging by his deepening blush, though, Dan had quite a good feeling about him. “Um. Anyway.” His eyes darted around the room, face now a similar shade of red to Phil’s. “I just finished my schooling this year, so this is sort of my graduation present. I’m taking a gap year before I start uni, though, as I have no idea what I want to do with my life. We’re hitting both Universal and Disney on this holiday, just like any other Orlando tourists, but my inner nerd was most excited for Harry Potter World from the beginning. And I have to say, I haven’t once been disappointed. Well, besides the whole roller coaster thing, of course.”

Phil giggled, ocean blue eyes dancing in the dim lighting. “But is that _really_ a disappointment? It got you here with me! That’s not such a bad deal, is it?”

Dan’s smile grew, if that was even possible. He did everything in his power to not appear like the lovesick idiot he absolutely was, but it sure wasn’t easy. “Hmmm, I suppose not. Anyway, what about you, Phil? How did you end up working here anyway?”

“Well, my family always holidays here in the spring and me being the massive nerd I am pretty much jumped at the chance to work here. Plus, I’ve pretty much always loved theme parks and engineering, so this seemed absolutely perfect. Other than that, though...I’m a pretty big video game nerd, especially _Final Fantasy_ and I’m crazy obsessed with _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ and _Lost_ . Like, seriously, you won’t find a bigger _Buffy_ fan than me.” With every word, Dan’s eyes only grew wider and wider until he was sure they would pop straight out of his head and onto the table like a cartoon.

“Are you kidding me? _Final Fantasy 7_ is my favourite game of all time! And I freaking love _Buffy_ and _Lost!_ Dude. Is there anything we _don’t_ have in common?”

“Well, I’m sure you probably don’t share my strange cheese aversion,” Phil laughed, appearing suddenly sheepish.

Dan just gaped at the man across from him. “You don’t like _cheese?_ How do you live? Cheese is like...on everything! That’s like saying you don’t like bread, or...or potatoes!”

Phil just smiled and shook his head. Dan got the feeling he received this reaction quite often. “I mean, I’m fine with it on pizza or pasta since the tomato sauce usually cancels it out, but like big blocks of cheese and crackers, cheesy cheese lunches with four extra cheeses, giant cat sculptures made out of cheese that you have to eat before you get into the...uh...cheese club. Oh God, that went on a strange tangent, I’m sorry. But yeah. I don’t like cheese. Feel free to judge me as much as you want, I’m pretty much used to it by now.”

“You think I’d judge you for that? Well, okay, yeah, I kinda am. Also all your cheese descriptions are making me super hungry so thanks for that.”

“Well, sounds like perfect timing then!” Suddenly, a perky blonde ambled up to their table, dressed in costume just like Rachel and holding a pen and pad of paper. “I’m Miranda and I’ll be your server today--oh, hey, Phil! Can I get you lads something to drink?” Dan could tell her British accent needed work, but somehow, he didn’t mind.

“Can I get a Butterbeer?” Dan ordered. He felt his stomach leap, as he had been waiting for the moment he could finally try a Butterbeer since he first read _Philosopher’s Stone_.

“Make that two, actually,” Phil grinned up at Miranda.

“Brilliant! Are you two ready to order, or do you need a bit more time?”

Dan blushed. They had spent so much time talking that he hadn’t even bothered to open his menu!

“Some extra time would be great, thanks,” Phil graciously requested.

“Alright, sounds good! I’ll get your Butterbeers right out to you.” Miranda sashayed away, Dan spending just a second too long staring at her ass as he could immediately tell by the slightly more sullen look in Phil’s eyes, now studying the menu. Dan turned to his own, biting his lip.

Much to his delight, though, he discovered that the restaurant served traditional British fare, including fish and chips and a quite appealing Sunday roast. His mouth watered yet again. He really did feel quite at home here. No wonder Phil enjoyed it so much.

“Oooh this Sunday roast is looking pretty good, but too bad it’s so expensive. Really, what is it with theme park food?” Dan couldn’t possibly justify spending over $20 on a single meal. That was like...at least 15 pounds!

“Hey, don’t worry about the prices. Lunch is on me.” Phil set down his menu and grinned up at Dan. Did this make it...a date? Dan refused to get his hopes up. Phil probably felt bad for what happened on the roller coaster. Dan wished yet again he hadn’t freaked out like that.

“Wow. Well...thank you, Phil.” Dan grinned shyly back at him. God, was that man gorgeous. Just before he had a chance to say anything else, though, Miranda returned with two frothy glass mugs filled with an amber liquid.

“Alright. Are you two ready to order?” she prompted.

“Actually, yes! We’ll take two Sunday roasts, thanks,” Phil answered. His eyes held a question of approval. Dan nodded, a grin yet again spreading across his face. What was it about this boy? Soon enough, his cheeks were going to start hurting--but Dan didn’t think he’d mind that one bit.

“Sounds good! I’ll get those right out for you.” Miranda shot the two another wide grin once she had finished scribbling on her pad, then shuffled away again.

Left yet again to themselves, Dan and Phil quickly resumed their nerdy conversation. Dan quickly discovered it was easier talking to Phil than anyone he had ever known, and consequently felt himself falling faster and faster the longer they talked. Phil was everything Dan had never known he was looking for and so much more. Besides being absolutely gorgeous, he truly appeared to have a heart of gold, not to mention they shared just about every interest. This was undoubtedly the quickest he had ever bonded with anyone and Dan could only hope that Phil felt similarly about him. He had no idea what would happen once they finally went their separate ways, but he hoped he could keep Phil in his life for just a little while longer. He seemed like a good egg.

Even when their food arrived and their conversation soon became muddled with mumbles mostly discussing their delicious meal, Dan still found himself greatly enjoying every second he spent with Phil. Both men polished off their plates with surprising speed, but neither seemed eager to leave even after Phil had paid the bill. The restaurant wasn’t too crowded, what with it being quite late in the afternoon now, and nothing was really dragging Dan out of his seat--that is, until his phone buzzed with a text.

 **Mum:** Are you still at Harry Potter world? Your dad, Adrian, and I are about ready to leave. Want us to meet you there?

Dan’s heart suddenly sank all the way down to his toes. Phil seemed to suspect something was up, though, as he reached out a hand to tap the back of Dan’s hand, shakily gripping his phone. “Hey. Is everything okay?” He asked in the softest of tones that made Dan’s heart squeeze painfully.

“My parents are ready to leave. I think we’re gonna have to say goodbye soon, unfortunately.” Dan started typing out a reply, already knowing he never wanted to say goodbye to Phil.

“But you didn’t even get to see the fireworks show! Can you ask them if you can stay, just for that? Tell them you’re with me and I’m completely harmless.” Phil’s face was nothing but encouraging. Dan got the feeling he could persuade him to do anything with that face.

“Honestly, they probably won’t care if I stay here a bit longer, as long as nothing horrible happens to me. Plus, I really want to see those fireworks.” Dan felt that ever-present smile returning, even with the butterflies now buzzing in his stomach.

 **Dan:** Yeah I’m still there. Is it alright if I stay a bit later to see the fireworks though? I met this really cool guy called Phil. I promise he’s not a serial killer or anything. We’re in the Three Broomsticks if you want to say hi.

A reply came a few seconds later, thankfully setting Dan’s nerves at ease.

 **Mum:** Sure. On our way.

“I can stay!” Dan declared, and Phil let out an equally joyful cheer.

“Yay! Oh my gosh, Dan, you haven’t _lived_ until you’ve seen the fireworks here. They were one of my favourite parts of holidaying here and honestly, I still never get tired of them. You’ll love it.” His excitement was positively adorable, just like a child. How had Dan gotten so lucky to meet him today?

Dan’s family found them far sooner than he expected, but they all blessedly appeared to be in good moods. “There you are!” His mum sighed, clearly relieved. “We figured you were enjoying your time here, so we didn’t want to rush you. Is this your new friend Phil?”

“Yeah, it is. Phil, this is my mum, dad, and brother Adrian.” Dan pointed each family member out in turn. “Guys, this is Phil. He operates the Dragon Challenge, which actually broke down while I was on it. He was really nice about helping me out, though.”

“It’s so nice to meet you all. I’ve heard some great things about you,” Phil grinned graciously, holding out his hand to each person and shaking firmly. Dan noticed Adrian sizing Phil up and down. He knew that Dan liked boys. Dan could only hope he wouldn’t open his big twelve-year-old mouth.

“Oh, honey! Are you sure you’re alright?” Dan’s mum gasped upon hearing the news.

“Yeah I’m fine. I just had to climb down, which was kind of scary, but Phil was a really good helper. It was a few hours ago, it’s not really a big deal.” Dan’s heartbeat sped up as he remembered just how terrified he felt but how amazingly calm Phil had been.

“Well, good. We’re glad you’re doing fine,” Dan’s dad piped up. “Now, Phil, you’re sure you’ll return my son by a decent time tonight?”

“Yes sir. I can take him back to your hotel right after the fireworks. It’s kind of a tradition here.” Phil bit his lip, a hint of anxiety in his eyes, and Dan felt his heart melt even more. How did he look so cute when he was nervous too? This was going to prove quite dangerous if he didn’t quite feel the same.

“Good. Well, we really should be off,” Mr. Howell replied. “It was nice meeting you, Phil, and we’ll see you later, Dan. Have fun!” He flashed a small smile before turning to leave, Dan’s mum and brother quickly following his lead.

“Yes, have fun, Dan, and stay safe!” His mum added before the family walked out of the restaurant.

“Well, your parents seem nice!” Phil chirped as the door swung shut.

“Yeah, they’re fine around company. It’s just when you’re at home and misbehave that they’re really bad. They’ve been alright this week, though, thankfully. I think it helps that they love to travel.”

“Well that’s good! Hey, are you ready for the fireworks? They’re gonna start soon!” Phil bounced up and down on his toes. How adorable was his giddiness?

“Really? Well, lead the way, Phil. I’m sure you know the best place to watch them.”

“As a matter of fact, yes I do. Let’s go!” Phil grabbed Dan’s hand and pulled him out of the restaurant, causing his heart to momentarily stop and a spark to jolt all the way up his arm.

Phil dragged him through the park (which Dan was grateful for as he had no idea where he was), chattering about different hobbies they shared and occasionally needing Dan to pull him out of the way of people passing by and the odd lamppost.

By the time Phil stopped somewhere in the middle of the park, the sun was setting. It was really pretty with orange and pink hues that faded up to purple and blue. It made the white flowers that were in garden boxes along the paths appear to be glowing. They both sat down on a bench woven with fairy lights.

“This is the best spot to see the fireworks. I usually come here before I go home for the day to watch. It’s never really busy at this time too, so there won’t be anyone to bother us.” Phil said, excitement seeping into his voice.

“Okay, that’s good,” Dan replied. “How many times have you seen the show?”

“Oh, loads! I’ve watched it nearly every night since I’ve started working here!

“Must be pretty boring for you then, huh?”

Phil’s eyes widened and he shook his head instantly. “No, no! I love watching it! And besides, this time I’m watching it with you, which makes a lot more fun,” He said.

Dan looked down, feeling a blush rise up his neck to his cheeks. It didn’t help that Phil then pushed his shoulder lightly against Dan’s, making him look up. He loved the color of Phil’s eyes: blue, green, and yellow pooled together. It was hard to believe that Dan had only known them for less than a day. He’d already learned so much about Phil, and he wanted to learn more. Their personalities were simultaneously complete opposites and exactly the same, and Dan loved it. It was only when he heard the first big boom that he realized he’d been staring (and Phil’d been staring back).

He looked up at the sky to see that the first firework had already exploded in the sky, bright green and white mixing with the fading purples and blues of the day. Dan watched as each firework shot up into the sky five at a time. He’d seen some pretty cool firework shows before, but nothing compared to this one, though that might have been because Phil laced his fingers through Dan’s during the third group of fireworks.

They sat like that for awhile, silence only broken by the boom of the fireworks and the soft breath from the boys. It was peaceful, more peaceful than Dan had felt in, well, in forever. Watching the show with Phil was like a fairytale ending to the perfect day that had started out so awful.

Dan looked over at Phil only to find him staring right back. It wasn’t in a weird, what-are-you-doing way, but rather an affectionate, admiring way. It brought the soft blush back to Dan’s cheeks, but this time he didn’t look away. Instead, he did something completely out of character and leaned forward. A second passed before Phil closed the space between them. It was slow, and warm, and everything Dan wanted. Phil’s lips fit perfectly against Dan’s just like his hand did in the crook of his neck.

When it was over, Phil kept their foreheads together and closed his eyes. A moment or two passed. Dan couldn’t tell, nor did he want to. He could distantly hear the fireworks going off and the light hum of the electricity from the fairy lights, but all he could focus on was how Phil’s breath came, soft and even, and how he could still taste him on his lips.

“I’m really glad I met you, Dan.” Phil whispered. Dan smiled, then tightened his grip on Phil’s hand and mumbled a response:

“This was the most fun I’ve ever had.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading and we hope you enjoyed! This was both our first co-writing experience, but definitely one we both thoroughly enjoyed. You can find Claire over at [phloridas](http://phloridas.tumblr.com) and Marissa at [scarlett-storm](http://scarlett-storm.tumblr.com) on Tumblr, where we're both always up for discussion on all things Phan. We hope you're having a great day/night wherever you are and if not, then hopefully this made it a little bit better!


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